Taipei [Taiwan], January 31 : Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) announced on Friday that government employees will be prohibited from using DeepSeek, a newly launched artificial intelligence model from China, due to concerns that it could expose sensitive data to Beijing, according to a report by Focus Taiwan.
In an official statement, MODA classified DeepSeek AI as a Chinese information and communications technology (ICT) product and cautioned that any data leaks could threaten national security.
The restriction applies to personnel across central and local government agencies, public schools, state-owned businesses, and other affiliated institutions. However, MODA did not provide further details on how the policy would be enforced. The ban also extends to individuals involved in critical infrastructure projects and those employed by government-funded foundations.
MODA cited the 2019 Executive Yuan regulation, "Principles on Restricting the Use of Products That Endanger National Cyber Security," which prohibits government agencies from using ICT products and services that may pose a national security risk, Focus Taiwan reported.
Notably, human rights activists and international experts have strongly criticised China's newly developed AI platform, DeepSeek, after concerns arose regarding its role in spreading state propaganda, censoring sensitive subjects, and gathering personal data. While marketed as a technological advancement, the platform has come under fire for significant ethical and security issues.
The Campaign for Uyghur on January 28 highlighted that DeepSeek aggressively collects and stores personal information, such as IP addresses and conversation histories, on servers located in China. This has raised concerns about potential abuse by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a regime known for its history of human rights violations.
DeepSeek was also accused of silencing dissenting opinions, particularly on topics related to Xinjiang, fueling fears that it is being used as a tool for state-sponsored digital surveillance.
Taiwan's decision follows similar actions by other governments. Italy's data protection authority announced on Thursday that it had blocked the Chinese AI model DeepSeek due to a lack of transparency regarding its use of personal data. US and Australian officials have also raised privacy concerns, Focus Taiwan reported.